CU hospital offering trial for new diabetes treatment

DENVER — The University of Colorado’s Anschutz Health and Wellness Center is enrolling patients with diabetes for a first-of-its-kind trial for a new treatment of the disease.

The trial is for EndoBarrier, a thin, flexible, tubed-shaped liner that forms a barrier between food and a portion of the intestinal wall.

The EndoBarrier works by blocking food from coming into contact with the first part of a patient’s intestine. Studies have found that when absorption is blocked there, it helps the body control blood glucose.

“The idea is like a gastric bypass,” said Dr. Holly Wyatt. “Not only will you get improvements in blood glucose, but you will also get a significant weight loss.”

In the trial, researchers hope to measure both the amount of blood sugar the body produces for research participants with the device and any weight loss they experience.

People who are between 21 and 65, have uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes and are obese, may be eligible for the free clinical trial. For more information, call 303-724-9198.

The EndoBarrier is inserted through the mouth and down the esophagus and stomach into the intestine. There is no cutting necessary.

It’s estimated that more than 300,000 people in Colorado are living with diabetes, and according to the CDC, the obesity rates in Colorado have doubled since 1995.

“Most of the time when someone does have Type 2 diabetes, they also have obesity,” said Wyatt. “So it’s really putting those two conditions together.”

The combination of these two has created a epidemic doctors now call diabesity.